Literacy Capital plc (BOOK)

This trust aims to achieve long-term capital growth by investing in a diversified portfolio consisting primarily of private UK companies.

Literacy Capital also has a unique charitable objective to improve children’s literacy. More than £5.7 milion has been raised so far.

https://www.literacycapital.com/home/default.aspx

https://www.theaic.co.uk/companydata/literacy-capital

Agree. Please add.

What type of companies does literacy capital invest in?

Businesses generating £1m - £10m EBITDA (or £0.5m+ for bolt-on acquisitions)
Headquartered in the UK
Sector agnostic
Flexibility on holding majority or minority equity stakes
Ability to complete buyout transactions and / or to invest growth capital
Flexibility to support MBIs

Despite the view that the UK is the worse place in the world to invest in! All the companies they invest in are UK headquartered.

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Literacy capital
Small £250 million
Supposedly up a staggering 300% since IPO 2021 (around then)
No dividend
Only on small premium of 3.5%

Alas will be surprised if this will turn up anytime soon.
Pity as no doubt we will miss out on a great deal of growth.
Surprise us all and prove me wrong!

Still waiting for that surprise!
Not going to get it this year am I?
5 votes. Not enough but not bad for private equity.
Come on folks this is a beaut.
Has a sector all to itself.
Invests in companies with EBITDA of 1 to 10 million. Off the radar for the vast majority of private equity.
.

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Agreed, BOOK has a remarkable short-term track record given the headwinds faced by private equity generally over the past year or so.

At this stage, I wouldn’t invest due to the premium, charges and spread but I’ll be keeping an eye on it.

I’d happily chuck spare change at it though as I’m passionate about literacy and its charitable aim.

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Just gave 3i my LGEN and general dividends.
At this point if you don’t buy them on a premium you aren’t going to buy at all.
I suspect the same with book.
I would rather buy on a premium than wait for months if not years only to find you would be better off IE the share price would have been lower buying on a premium.
My personal opinion only

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Yeah, I know where you’re coming from. I have a long horizon so I’ll sit on the sidelines as sentiment changes and I’m not too bothered about missing out. I can deploy cash elsewhere in the interim.

I don’t like paying much of a premium for anything but I find it particularly galling with private equity because I want a discount to compensate for me buying relatively illiquid underlying assets.

Each to their own though!

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Decent fall inn 3i lately.
A combination of going exdivided and the fall in the market happening together has pushed the premium back

Hello, still waiting for literacy capital!

Hey @EmilieG, any chance you can look into adding this one pretty please? :pleading_face: :pray:

Quarterly trading announcement excellent…fell 4% !!! (Profit taking?) Sold a recent small purchase of 3i to buy (in ISA)
HL have them on a discount again.
Big big spread.
Such a pity they are not on freetrade.
Suspect they won’t be putting them on.
Will have to consider buying more on Hargreaves.

Yeah, I’m keen to throw my spare change into this due to it’s charitable aim but HL is not an option for me due to the commission as I’d only be investing relatively small amounts.

I think they have it on T212 so I may chuck my shrapnel at it in my GIA over there.

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I have given up on T212.
For small companies you will wait forever for the purchase to go through. I’m not talking about limit orders.
I went to buy some more TENT shares on T212. 4 hours later nothing. Then I found they had added it on freetrade. Instant purchase. Far far greater choice on T212 but I can’t be having this waiting forever for what should be an instant order.
Great site cost wise but a waste of space for small companies.
Literacy capital tends to move in big jumps so you will have no idea what you are buying at.
PS T212 give you your PID as well.
I think freetrade have decided they are not going to bother reclaiming it.

Yeah, one of the advantages of FT is that it has much better execution for smaller UK securities.

The Pid issue doesn’t really bother me as I don’t hold any Reits directly. All I have is TRY, a fund of European Reits, and I’m 99% sure its income is paid as a normal dividend.

It is.
Was considering it as it’s on a discount which pays the charges.
As the REITs charge then you have TRY’s charges on top.

May put a small order in on T212 for literacy capital and see how it goes.
If you move your ISA from T212 to another provider or too T212 from another provider it has to be in cash not in species. Very off putting as you never know what is going to happen in the future.

@EmilieG

Come on freetrade this is a must buy.
Last two sales have been 50,% above carrying value.
You can do it.
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Go on
Said in a female Irish accent

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Need some more votes here.
This private equity investment trust has done spectacularly well since coming to market (and beforehand).
Only small and directors and management have 40%.
Hence 2.5% spread.
This is one like 3i (for me) in that’s it’s a long term hold.
Invest in small UK companies. No FX worries and the market is cheap. A niche market in my opinion all to itself, at least when it comes to investment trusts.
Valuations are conservative, very conservative, as last 2 companies sold on 50% uplifts.
Downside… freetrade hasn’t/won’t put it on the site.
It gives 0.9% of its assets to help children learn to read and write. If you don’t buy shares 1,227 children per year will not learn to read and write and will end up on the dole for the rest of their lives all because YOU couldn’t be bothered voting for them.
HELP THE ILLITERATE, vote for literacy capital

Literally :laughing:

I’m happy with FT’s offering nowadays. There are a handul of trusts that I’d like to see added, such as this, Oakley, Odyssean, Oryx and Rockwood. However, they are all relatively niche and I’m not deadset on investing in any of them.